Movie · 1988 · Comedy, Romance, Drama · 1h 54m · R · English
Curator score: 5.2/10 (130.4K ratings)
For anyone who's ever won. For anyone who's ever lost. And for everyone who's still in there trying.
Overview
When a secretary's idea is stolen by her boss, she seizes an opportunity to steal it back by pretending she has her boss' job.
Ratings
Curator score: 5.2/10
IMDb: 6.8/10
Letterboxd: 3.45/5
Rotten Tomatoes: 83%
Metacritic: 73
TMDB: 6.6/10
Director
Mike Nichols
Production
20th Century Fox
Cast
Melanie Griffith, Harrison Ford, Sigourney Weaver, Alec Baldwin, Joan Cusack, Philip Bosco, Nora Dunn, Oliver Platt, James Lally, Kevin Spacey, Robert Easton, Olympia Dukakis, Amy Aquino, Jeffrey Nordling, Elizabeth Whitcraft, Maggie Wagner, Lou DiMaggio, David Duchovny, Georgienne Millen, Caroline Aaron
Curator Review
Verdict
A sharp, glossy 1980s workplace comedy-drama with real star power and a satisfying underdog fantasy. It mixes romance, ambition, and class satire in a way that still plays as breezy and entertaining, even if some of its gender politics feel very much of its era.
Best for
fans of 80s studio comedies with a romantic edge
viewers who like workplace power games and corporate satire
people who enjoy charismatic, larger-than-life performances
audiences looking for an aspirational underdog story
Skip if
you want a modern or especially progressive take on workplace politics
you dislike glossy 80s melodrama and big sentimental payoffs
you prefer romance to stay understated rather than crowd-pleasing
you are sensitive to dated gender dynamics and sexual politics
Overview
Working Girl is one of the defining glossy comedies of late-80s ambition: a Cinderella story recast as a Wall Street hustle. It gets a lot of mileage from the contrast between its scrappy heroine and the polished corporate world she’s trying to enter, and the movie understands how to make office politics feel like a contact sport.
Worth noting
The cast is a major part of the appeal. Melanie Griffith gives the film its restless energy, Harrison Ford brings surprising warmth, and Sigourney Weaver makes the antagonist deliciously formidable. Mike Nichols keeps the tone light on its feet, balancing romance, satire, and a very specific kind of aspirational fantasy.
Bottom line
It is also a product of its time, especially in the way it frames gender, power, and professionalism. But if you’re in the mood for a smart, polished crowd-pleaser with memorable lines, strong chemistry, and a satisfying rise-against-the-system arc, it still works very well.
Top Letterboxd reviews
Mike Ginn (3★) · 1606 likes
Kevin Spacey is very believable as the coked out predator
noelle (3★) · 1491 likes
when everyone started clapping when harrison took his shirt off... mood.
Aaron Michael (3.5★) · 1081 likes
I literally orgasmed every time Harrison Ford was on screen.
martika (3★) · 1040 likes
there's a scene where Harrison Ford goes inside a bathroom stall to pee and when he goes out he puts his finger into his mouth without washing his hands
Anika (4★) · 905 likes
"I have a head for business and a bod for sin."
ICONIC